Dynamic requirement variation for online game network asset acquisition

ABSTRACT

Example systems and methods relating to dynamic requirement variation for asset acquisition in an online game are presented. In an example online game for multiple players, a plurality of parameters employed to identify players who qualify for a reward provided by the online game are accessed continually. A current acquisition requirement for the reward based on the plurality of parameters is updated continually. The reward is provided to at least one of the players responsive to satisfaction of the current acquisition requirement by the at least one of the players.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/244,774, entitled “DYNAMIC REQUIREMENT VARIATION FOR ONLINE GAMENETWORK ASSET ACQUISITION,” and filed on Sep. 26, 2011, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/779,015, entitled“VIRAL DYNAMIC REWARDS IN A MULTIUSER GAME NETWORK,” and filed May 12,2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/236,080, entitled “VIRAL DYNAMIC REWARDS IN A MULTIUSER GAMENETWORK,” and filed Aug. 21, 2009. The contents of each of theseapplications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to games and applications in general andin particular to computer-implemented online games, such as onlinerole-playing games, playable by more than one person from more than onelocation.

BACKGROUND

In many games, there is a virtual world or some other imagined playingspace and a player of the game controls one or more player characters(herein “character,” “player character,” or “PC”). Player characters canbe considered in-game representations of the controlling player; assuch, all uses of the terms “player,” “user,” “entity,” and “friend”refer to the in-game player character controlled by that player, user,entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. The game displaycan display a representation of the player character. A game engineaccepts inputs from the player, determines player character actions,decides outcomes of events and presents the player with a game displayilluminating what happened. In some games, there are multiple players,wherein each player controls one or more player characters.

An electronic social networking system typically operates with a socialnetworking server or servers providing interaction between users suchthat a user can specify other users of the social networking system as“friends.” As should be apparent, a collection of users and the “friend”connections between users can form a social graph that can be traversedto find second, third and more remote connections between users, muchlike a graph of nodes connected by edges can be traversed.

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game assets (aka“loot”) that a player character can obtain within the game. For example,a player character may acquire game points, gold coins, experiencepoints, character levels, character attributes, virtual cash, or otherin-game items of value. In some games, the goal of the game may be toacquire in-game assets. For example, a player may strive to achieve ahigh score by accumulating points that are granted for performingin-game tasks or overcoming in-game obstacles. In some games, thesein-game assets can used to acquire in-game rewards. For example, aplayer character may be able to acquire a magical sword (i.e., thereward) in exchange for a number of gold coins (i.e., the assets).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a Venn diagram illustrating the reward acquisitionrequirements for various combinations of an asset requirement, a gamestate requirement, and a social requirement.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 100 of operatinga multiplayer online game with viral rewards.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart illustrating an example method 200 of operatinga multiplayer online game with viral rewards that have dynamicallydetermined exchange rates.

FIG. 4 shows a viral reward file.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 6 depicts a schematic of a system and data flow for operating anonline multiplayer game.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computer system architecture.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS Game Systems, Social Networks, andSocial Graphs

In an online multiplayer game, players control player characters (PCs),a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) and game features,and the game engine also manages player character state and tracks statefor currently active (i.e., online) players and currently inactive(i.e., offline) players. A player character can have a set of attributesand a set of friends associated with the player character. As usedherein, the term “player character state” can refer to any in-gamecharacteristic of a player character, such as location, assets, levels,condition, health, status, inventory, skill set, name, orientation,affiliation, specialty, and so on. The game engine uses player characterstate to determine the outcome of game events, sometimes alsoconsidering set or random variables. Generally, a player character'sprobability of having a more favorable outcome is greater when theplayer character has a better state. For example, a healthier playercharacter is less likely to die in a particular encounter relative to aweaker player character or non-player character.

A game engine can interface with a social graph. Social graphs aremodels of connections between entities (e.g., individuals, users,contacts, friends, players, player characters, non-player characters,businesses, groups, associations, concepts, etc.). These entities areconsidered “users” of the social graph; as such, the terms “entity” and“user” may be used interchangeably when referring to social graphsherein. The social graph has a node for each entity, and edges torepresent relationships between entities. A node in a social graph canrepresent any entity. The present disclosure assumes that at least oneentity of a social graph is a player or player character in an onlinemultiplayer game, though the present disclosure is intended to cover alltypes of social graph users.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN-1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “N-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends.

In one embodiment, the social graph is managed by the game networkingsystem 520 b managed by the game operator. In another embodiment, thesocial graph is part of a social networking system 520 a managed by athird-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace, etc.). In yet anotherembodiment, a player has a social graph on both the game networkingsystem 520 b and the social networking system 520 a, wherein the playercan have a social network on the game networking system 520 b that is asubset, superset, or independent of the player's social network on thesocial networking system 520 a. In such combined systems, the gamenetwork system 520 b can maintain social graph information with edgetype attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” a “social network friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by asocial networking system 520 a, a game networking system 520 b, or both.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by either the social networking system 520a or the multiuser game engine 520 b. In some embodiments, N_(max) isunlimited and the player's social network is coextensive with the socialgraph.

Reward Acquisition Requirements

In various embodiments, an online multiplayer game can provide amechanism for player characters to acquire in-game rewards. In someembodiments, a reward can provide an in-game benefit for the playercharacter, such as increasing the player character's likelihood orability to advance in the game. For example, rewards could be characterlevels, ability points, or skill points, hit points, mana points, combatbonuses, etc. Rewards can also be virtual representations of real lifethings such as cash, precious valuables, personal property, realproperty, weapons, vehicles, titles, jobs, etc. Rewards can also includemythical and fantasy things, such as manna, game keys, magical items,potions, relics, artifacts, etc. Typical in-game benefits includespecial abilities, enchanted items, or game keys, wherein these benefitsmay allow the player character to advance at a more rapid rate orsatisfy a gate condition that allows the player character to advancepast a certain point in the game. Benefits may also include in-gameauthority, rights, or status.

In various embodiments, a player character can only acquire certainin-game rewards after satisfying certain requirements. These combinedrequirements are considered the “acquisition requirements” of thereward. An acquisition requirement can have various components,including an asset requirement, a game state requirement, and a socialrequirement, or any combination thereof. One of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that other components are possible, which can beincluded within the acquisition requirement of the reward. The gameengine can provide a variety of mechanisms by which a player charactercan acquire a reward once the acquisition requirements have been met.

FIG. 1 shows a Venn diagram 100 illustrating the reward acquisitionrequirements for various combinations of an asset requirement, a gamestate requirement, and a social requirement.

In some embodiments, certain rewards can only be acquired aftersatisfying an asset requirement 110, a game state requirement 120, asocial requirement 130, or any combination of these three requirements.For example, a reward may have an acquisition requirement consisting ofboth an asset requirement and a game state requirement 115. Or it mayhave an acquisition requirement consisting of both a social requirementand a game state requirement 125. Or it may have an acquisitionrequirement consisting of a social, asset, and game state requirement145. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that variouscombinations possible.

As used herein, a “second-level reward” 160 (aka “viral reward”) is anyreward with an acquisition requirement that includes at least somesocial requirement component (i.e., regions 125, 130, 135, 145 on theVenn diagram). Similarly, a “first-level reward” 150 is any reward withan acquisition requirement that includes only an asset requirement 110,a game state requirement 120, or a combination of the two 115.

Asset Requirements

In some embodiments, a player character can acquire certain in-gamerewards only after satisfying an asset requirement 110. In one exampleembodiment, a player character can collect in-game assets during thecourse of game play (e.g., virtual currency) and trade a number of thoseassets for a reward. In this embodiment, the acquisition requirementconsists of only an asset requirement, wherein the asset requirement isacquiring a certain number of in-game assets and exchanging those assetsfor the reward.

For example, referring to FIG. 2, in step 210 player A can engage in anonline multiplayer game, wherein player A controls player character A.During the course of the game, player A (via player character A) cancollect in-game assets, such as gold coins, in step 230. The number oramount of gold coins collected by player A can depend on how successfulplayer A is or how long the player A plays in the game. In someembodiments, during normal game play, player A can be awarded gold coinsfor performing, executing, or attempting certain in-game events. Theaward of gold coins is analogous to scoring points or to being paid toperform tasks in a certain type of currency or other type of asset.

In step 233, the game engine can check to see if player A has sufficientassets to satisfy the asset requirement to acquire a first-level reward.If so, then player A may have the option of acquiring that reward atstep 236. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the gameengine can provide a variety of mechanisms for granting rewards afterthe asset requirements have been satisfied. For example, the game mayprovide an in-game mechanism for exchanging these gold coins for variousrewards, such as a virtual store. At the virtual store, the playercharacter may have the option of trading a number of gold coins inexchange for one or more first-level rewards. For example, the playercharacter could spend 10 gold coins to buy a healing potion, whichallows the player character to heal damage suffered in-game. Or theplayer character could spend 200 gold coins to buy an invisibilitycloak, which allows the player character avoid certain in-gameobstacles. Or the player could spend 5,000 gold coins to buy a castlekey, which allows the player to advance to the next level of game play.If the player character does not have sufficient assets to satisfy theasset requirement, the virtual store will not allow the player topurchase the reward.

In some embodiments, a player character may need more than one type ofin-game asset to purchase a reward. For example, a player character mayneed 10,000 gold coins and 10 lbs. of adamantine in order to purchase amagical longsword.

In some embodiments, rewards can also be treated as assets for thepurpose of satisfying an asset requirement. For example, a playercharacter could spend 1,000 gold coins to buy a ruby. Once the playercharacter acquires 10 rubies and 2 lbs. of steel, he can exchange themfor a magical dagger.

In some embodiments, a player character may be able to acquire a rewardby merely acquiring, but not necessarily expending, a certain number ofin-game assets. For example, if the player character acquires fivemagical crests, a dragon will reward him by giving the Charm of Rubissto the player character; however, the player character also retains themagical crests after the transaction.

Game State Requirements

In some embodiments, a player character can acquire certain rewards onlyafter a game state requirement 120 has been satisfied. In step 240,during the course of player A's game play, game state can change. Forexample, the internal game clock can change, the virtual gameenvironment can change, or attributes of NPCs or other PCs may change.In step 243, the game engine can check to see if the game state withrespect to player A is satisfied for purposes of acquiring a first-levelreward. If so, then player A may have the option of acquiring thatreward at step 246.

As used herein, game state includes all game parameters that are notrelated to a player character's in-game assets or online socialinteractions. Game state can include parameters tracked or controlled bythe game engine. For example, player A may not be able to acquire areward until he defeats all monsters on the 9th level of the dungeon, oruntil it is high tide in the virtual game environment. Game state canalso include game parameters controlled by other player characters. Forexample, player A may not be able to acquire a reward until certainother players have completed a specified task.

In some embodiments, the reward may also have an asset requirementand/or a social requirement. For example, player A may be able to buy amagic staff only once he has acquired 1,000 gold coins and successfullycompleted the quest to rescue the blacksmith's daughter. In anotherexample, player A may be able to buy the magical mandrake root only oncehe has acquired 10,000 experience points, successfully invited eightfriends from his social network to play the game, and entered the cityof Ambrosia during a full moon.

Social Requirements

In some embodiments, a player character can acquire certain in-gamerewards only after satisfying a social requirement 130. These in-gamerewards are considered second-level rewards, wherein the rewards canonly be acquired after satisfying some type of social requirementrelated to the social network associated with the player character.Second-level rewards are also called “viral rewards” because theyincentivize players to invite or engage other users to play the game aswell as increase the breadth and scope of the player's social network.

As described above, a multiuser game networking system 520 b can bemerged, connected, linked, associated with, or otherwise configured toaccess one or more online social networking systems 520 a. When amultiuser online game is associated with an external social network, thegame can be shared with other users in the social graph, some of whommay be within a player's social network. Via the game system, the socialnetworking system, or both, a player can engage in a variety of onlinesocial interactions (aka “social links”) related to the multiuser onlinegame. For example, a first player can send invitations to join the gameto friends in his social network. Some of these friends may join thegame (a so-called “successful invitation”), while others may not. Oncethese friends join the game and create their own player characters, theymay have the option of joining an in-game team (aka, mob, gang, set,army, business, crew, etc., depending on the nature of the game)established or controlled by the player character of the first player.Also, once these friends have created their own player characters, thefirst player may be able to gift or transfer in-game assets from hisplayer character to his friend's player characters.

In some embodiments, the game engine can track (e.g., in a database) thenumber of in-game assets possessed by a player character, the gamestate, and the number of social links established by the playercharacter. Once the player character satisfies the requisite number ofsocial links, the player character may have the option of acquiring asecond-level reward. In some embodiments, the second-level reward mayalso have an asset requirement and/or a game state requirement.

For example, within the multiplayer online game, player A can invitefriends from player A's social network to also play the game in step130. Once player A accumulates a requisite number of a in-game assetsand tallies the requisite number of successful invitations for newplayers from his social network to play the game, player A can exchangesome amount or all of his accumulated in-game assets and get credit forthe number of successfully invited friends, and thereby acquire somesecond-level reward in step 256. For example, if player A has acquired100 gold coins and successfully invited two friends from his socialnetwork to play the game (or caused two friends who have already haveplayer characters in the game to establish an in-game social connectionor in-game contact relationship), player A can then be entitled toreceive, in exchange for the 100 gold coins, a second-level reward.

Like a first-level reward, a second-level reward can provide variousin-game benefits, abilities, rights, or value that may or may not berelated to advancing game play. As described above, each of theaforementioned types of rewards can be assigned a degree with which todefine a hierarchy of in-game rewards. For example, in-game rewards caninclude first, second, and third-degree rewards, wherein a third-degreereward is stronger or more beneficial than a first-degree reward.

In some embodiments, a player can only get certain higher-degree rewardsonce he has successfully invited a set number of friends from his socialnetwork to join the game. The number of friends invited from a socialnetwork to join the game can be counted cumulatively from the first timethe player plays the game or can be occasionally reset from time totime. For example, the number of successful invitations can be reseteach time the user exchanges in-game assets plus a number of successfulinvitations for a second-level reward. Alternatively, a playercharacter's tally of successful invitations is never reset and therequirement for acquiring higher-degree rewards is based on thecumulative number of successful invitations by that player.

In some embodiments, certain second-level rewards can only be obtainedif the player and the friends he has invited to join the game areassociated within the game. For example, the social requirement for areward may only be satisfied in the player and his friends are all partof the same guild in the game. Alternatively, the social requirement mayonly be satisfied if the player and a certain number of his friendspursue the same quest. For example, a player may want a magical ring,but to get the magical ring, the player may be required to invite tenfriends from his social graph as well as convince them to collectivelyor individually also attempt to acquire the magical ring.

In some embodiments, the game engine can require a player to havemultiple types of successful invitations before acquiring a reward. Forexample, a player may be required to have two successful first-degreefriend invitations as well as four successful second-degree friendinvitations. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious other configurations of various degrees of successfulinvitations can be required for the player to acquire various rewards.Similarly, the game engine can determine various mixes of invitations,cash or other in-game assets are required for the player to acquire areward.

Dynamic Variation of Asset, Social, and Game State Requirements

In some embodiments, the acquisition of in-game rewards can depend onmultiple factors. For example, the acquisition of a reward by player Acan depend on the player's social network, in-game assets,character/experience level, character class/type, in-game abilities,amount of time spent playing the game, independent game clocks,attributes of other player characters, etc. One of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that the acquisition of in-game rewards can depend onany number of factors.

FIG. 3 depicts an example method 300 for operating a multiplayer onlinegame with dynamic viral rewards according to various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In step 310, a game engine can evaluate the numberof in-game assets currently granted or in circulation within the game.For example, the game-engine can determine that $1 million of virtualcurrency is currently in circulation amongst its 10,000 players anddetermined that on average each one of those players has approximately$100 of virtual currency. The game engine can reference variousparameters, input these into an algorithm, and dynamically calculate anasset requirement for in-game rewards that is out of reach of some,most, or all of the players in step 320. In terms of this example, thegame engine can set the asset requirement of a reward at $1000 ofvirtual currency. Setting the exchange rate just out of reach of someportion of the players gives those players an incentive to continueplaying the game. In other embodiments, the game engine can use moresophisticated analysis to determine the asset requirement for acquiringa certain reward.

Similarly, the game engine can evaluate the evolution of the socialgraphs of some or all of the game players to determine the number ofsuccessful invitations required for the players to receive a reward. Aswith the asset requirement, the game engine can set the socialrequirement (e.g., the number of successful invitations required) justout of reach of some or all of the game players. In this way, playersare further incentivized to continue inviting and/or encouraging membersof their social graph to join the game.

When a player character satisfied all of the acquisitions requirements(e.g., accumulate enough in-game assets, tallies enough successfulinvitation, plays for a certain time), the game engine can offer toprovide a reward to the player character in step 330. In someembodiments, this may deplete some of the player character's assets,reset his social link tally, or reset relevant game states with respectto the player character. In some embodiments, player characters mustactively seek out the opportunity to acquire rewards. In otherembodiments, the game engine can remind or actively offer players theopportunity to acquire rewards.

Once some number of rewards is distributed, the game engine can resetthe acquisition requirements for the reward in step 340. As in step 310,this can be done by referencing a variety of factors. In games withmultiple degrees of rewards, the acquisition requirements for alldegrees of rewards may similarly be reset, such that higher-degreerewards are out of reach of a portion of player characters. Bycontinually adjusting or resetting the social requirement forhigher-degree rewards to be equal to that of lower-degree rewards plus anumber of additional successful invitations, the game engine cancontinually incentivize existing users to increase the number ofinteractions with other users from their social network.

FIG. 4 depicts a viral rewards file 400 according to various embodimentsof the present invention. As shown, with viral rewards file 400 caninclude various types of information that the game engine can use todetermine the acquisition requirements of the particular viral rewardsidentified by the file reference ID and the description. For instance,the acquisition requirements for the particular viral reward included inthe viral rewards file 400 can include formalistic requirements foracquiring more of the particular viral reward. In some embodiments, eachadditional units of the viral reward can require an incremental increasein the number of the assets and successful invitations required for theacquisition of the next unit of the viral reward. In other embodiments,the acquisition requirements for the viral reward can be dynamic andalgorithmically determined by the game engine based on the amount of theparticular in-game assets in circulation or previously granted in thegame or the amounts of the assets and rewards granted or currently incirculation in the game.

Additionally, the game engine can also consider the evolution of thesocial network of some or all of the players in the game. Examination ofthe evolution of the social network of the players in the game caninclude the speed and depth with which players make connections within aparticular social network.

In various embodiments, the more friends a player successfully invitesfrom his social graph to join the game can entitle that player to morevaluable or higher-degree rewards. Additionally, the more successfulinvitations the player is attributed with can lower the acquisitionrequirements of lower-degree rewards, which the player may be able totrade in (i.e., trade up) for higher-degree rewards. The game engine canchoose to reward the player who has invited more players than an averageplayer by making higher-degree rewards less expensive in terms of thelower-degree rewards.

Within the hierarchy of rewards, various assets and rewards can be of alimited-edition nature whereby only a set number of a particular rewardwill ever be released into circulation or granted within the game. Forexample, a game may only have one Axe of Ancient Dwarvish Lords, whichcan only be acquired the player character who is the first to acquire avirtual castle and get 1,000 friends to join his in-game clan; otherplayer characters who subsequently satisfy these requirements will notreceive the reward. In other embodiments of the present invention,in-game assets and rewards can be fungible within the game and outsideof the game for real world currency. In other embodiments, in-gameassets and rewards can be non-fungible. In other embodiments, certainrewards can only be acquired in exchange for some mix of one or moretypes of in-game assets and some mix of one or more successfulinvitations of friends of various degrees to join the game.

Systems and Methods

In the various embodiments, the computer-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare returned after a user selects one or more actions to perform. Inother implementations, the computer-implemented game may be an animatedor rendered game executable as a stand-alone application or within thecontext of a web page or other structured document. In oneimplementation, the computer-implemented game can be implemented usingFLASH(r)-based technologies. For example, the game can be fully orpartially implemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a FLASH(r) media player plug-in. In various exampleembodiments, one or more described webpages may be associated with anetworking system or networking service. However, alternate embodimentsmay have application to the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any type of network addressable resource or website. Additionally, as used herein, a “user” may be an individual, agroup, or an entity (such as a business or third party application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 5 illustrates an example network environment, in which variousexample embodiments may operate. Network cloud 560 generally representsone or more interconnected networks, over which the systems and hostsdescribed herein can communicate. Network cloud 560 may includepacket-based wide area networks (such as the Internet), privatenetworks, wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks,paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 5 illustrates, particularembodiments may operate in a network environment comprising socialnetworking system 520 a, multiuser game networking system 520 b, and oneor more client devices 30. However, a social networking system separatefrom the multiuser game networking system is not necessary. It ispossible for the systems to be combined, such that the social networkingsystem and the multiuser game networking system are part of the samesystem. Consequently, hereinafter, social networking systems 520 a andmultiuser game networking system 520 b may be referred to simply asnetworking system 520. Client devices 30 are operably connected to thenetwork environment via a network service provider, a wireless carrier,or any other suitable means.

In one example embodiment, networking system 520 comprises computingsystems that allow users to communicate or otherwise interact with eachother and access content, such as a multiuser online game, game playerprofiles, social network profiles, and other content as describedherein. Networking system 520 is a network addressable system that, invarious example embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 522and data stores 524. The one or more physical servers 522 are operablyconnected to computer network 560 via, by way of example, a set ofrouters and/or networking switches 526. In an example embodiment, thefunctionality hosted by the one or more physical servers 522 may includeweb or HTTP servers, FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages and applications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI)script, PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP),Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML),Java, JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML(AJAX), and the like.

Physical servers 522 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 520. By way of example, networking system 20 mayhost a website that allows one or more users, at one or more clientdevices 30, to access a multiuser online game, access an online socialnetwork, as well as communicate and interact with one another via thewebsite. Hereinafter servers 522 may be referred to as server 522,although server 522 may include numerous servers hosting, for example,networking system 520, as well as other content distribution servers,data stores, and databases. Data store 524 may store content and datarelating to, and enabling, operation of the networking system as digitaldata objects. A data object, in particular implementations, is an itemof digital information typically stored or embodied in a data file,database or record. Content objects may take many forms, including: text(e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images (e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics(vector-based or bitmap), audio, video (e.g., mpeg), or othermultimedia, and combinations thereof. Content object data may alsoinclude executable code objects (e.g., games executable within a browserwindow or frame), podcasts, etc. Logically, data store 524 correspondsto one or more of a variety of separate and integrated databases, suchas relational databases and object-oriented databases, that maintaininformation as an integrated collection of logically related records orfiles stored on one or more physical systems. Structurally, data store524 may generally include one or more of a large class of data storageand management systems. In particular embodiments, data store 524 may beimplemented by any suitable physical system(s) including components,such as one or more database servers, mass storage media, media librarysystems, storage area networks, data storage clouds, and the like. Inone example embodiment, data store 524 includes one or more servers,databases (e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses.

Data store 524 may include data associated with different networkingsystem 520 users and/or client devices 530. In particular embodiments,the networking system 520 maintains a user profile for each user of thesystem 520. User profiles include data that describe the users of anetwork, which may include, for example, proper names (first, middle andlast of a person, a trade name and/or company name of a business entity,etc.), biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, geographic location, and additional descriptive data. Byway of example, user profiles may include a user's birthday,relationship status, city of residence, and the like. The system 520 mayfurther store data describing one or more relationships betweendifferent users. The relationship information may indicate users whohave similar or common work experience, group memberships, hobbies, oreducational history. A user profile may also include privacy settingsgoverning access to the user's information is to other users.

Client device 530 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client device 530 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client device 530 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera, etc.), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular implementations, the client applications allow a user ofclient device 530 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 520. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs. In addition, once apage or other resource has been retrieved, the client applications mayprovide access to other pages or records when the user “clicks” onhyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, such hyperlinks may belocated within the web pages and provide an automated way for the userto enter the URL of another page and to retrieve that page.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating web pages is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).Other common web browser-supported languages and technologies includethe Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Extensible Hypertext MarkupLanguage (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Cascading Style Sheet(CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example, HTML enables a pagedeveloper to create a structured document by denoting structuralsemantics for text and links, as well as images, web applications andother objects that can be embedded within the page. Generally, a webpagemay be delivered to a client as a static document, however, through theuse of web elements embedded in the page, an interactive experience maybe achieved with the page or a sequence of pages. During a user sessionat the client, the web browser interprets and displays the pages andassociated resources received or retrieved from the website hosting thepage, as well as, potentially, resources from other websites.

Networking system 520 may include a multitude of features with whichusers at remote clients 530 may interact during user sessions. Inparticular embodiments, these features may be implemented as webapplications and may utilize JavaScript and CSS resources requested fromservers 522 as well as other external servers or data stores. The webapplications or resources may be embedded in various underlying or baseweb pages served to remote clients, such as in frames or iFrames,sections or “divs” and the like. By way of example, acomputer-implemented game may be implemented as a FLASH object that isembedded into an HTML document and executable within the context of aclient application, such as a browser. In one such implementation, agame hosted by game networking system 520 b may be embedded into webpages served by social networking system 520 a. In otherimplementations, game networking system 520 b may serve web pages,including the embedded game application, directly to users.

In particular embodiments, the networking system 520 maintains in datastore 524 a number of objects for the different kinds of items withwhich a user may interact while accessing networking system 520. In oneexample embodiment, these objects include game network user profiles,social network user profiles, application objects, and message objects(such as for wall posts, emails and other messages). In one embodiment,an object is stored by the system 520 for each instance of itsassociated item. These objects and the actions discussed herein areprovided for illustration purposes only, and it can be appreciated thatan unlimited number of variations and features can be provided on anetworking system 520.

When a user at a client device (e.g., client device 530) desires to viewa particular web page (hereinafter also referred to as target structureddocument) hosted by networking system. 520, the user's web browser, orother document rendering engine or suitable client application,formulates and transmits a request to networking system 520. The requestgenerally includes a URL or other document identifier as well asmetadata or other information. By way of example, the request mayinclude information identifying the user, such as a user ID, as well asinformation identifying or characterizing the web browser or operatingsystem running on the user's client computing device 530. The requestmay also include location information identifying, a geographic locationof the user's client device or a logical network location of the user'sclient device. The request may also include a timestamp identifying whenthe request was transmitted.

FIG. 6 depicts a schematic of system 600 and data flow between thecomponents of system 600 for operating an online multiuser game. System600 can include a client system 620, a social network server 640 andmultiuser game server 660. Client system 620, social network server 640and multiuser game server 660 can each have a corresponding data storesuch as local storage medium 625, user and social network storage medium645 and game data storage medium 665, respectively. Client system 620can communicate with social network server 640 to receive web pages,messages, etc. Additionally, client system 620 can transmit data to andreceive, data from 623 (including game inputs, team displays, datatransfers, etc.) multiuser game server 660. In a similar fashion,multiuser game server 660 and social network server 640 can communicateHTTP packets 643 including data requests, invites, updates, etc. withsocial network server 640. At some other time, or at the same time,social network server 640 can communicate social network data, pageinfo, messages, etc. data 647 with multiuser game server 660. Asmentioned above, communication between client system 620, social networkserver 640 and multiuser game server 660 can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 522 or a client device 530 (or each nodeof a distributed computing system). In one embodiment, hardware system700 comprises a processor 702, a cache memory 704, and one or moreexecutable modules and drivers, stored on a tangible computer readablemedium, directed to the functions described herein. Additionally,hardware system 700 may include a high performance input/output (I/O)bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710 may coupleprocessor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/O bus bridge712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A system memory 714and one or more network/communication interfaces 716 couple to bus 706.Hardware system 700 may further include video memory (not shown) and adisplay device coupled to the video memory. Mass storage 718, and I/Oports 720 couple to bus 708. Hardware system 700 may optionally includea keyboard and pointing device, and a display device (not shown) coupledto bus 708. Collectively, these elements are intended to represent abroad category of computer hardware systems, including but not limitedto general purpose computer systems based on the x86-compatibleprocessors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., andthe x86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced. Micro Devices(AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitableprocessor.

The elements of hardware system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 716 provides communicationbetween hardware system 700 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Mass storage718 provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructionsto perform the above-described functions implemented in the servers 522,whereas system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage forthe data and programming instructions when executed by processor 802.I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication portsthat provide communication between additional peripheral devices, whichmay be coupled to hardware system 700.

Hardware system 700 may include a variety of system architectures; andvarious components of hardware system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,,cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 702 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present invention may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 708 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 700 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 700 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft (r) Windows(r) operating systems, BSDoperating systems, and the like. Of course, other implementations arepossible. For example, the functions described herein may be implementedin firmware or on an application specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the invention. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

Miscellaneous

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the invention.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the processes described herein may be implemented usinghardware components, software components, and/or any combinationthereof. By way of example, while embodiments of the present disclosurehave been described as operating in connection with a networkingwebsite, various embodiments of the present invention can be used inconnection with any communications facility that supports webapplications. Furthermore, in some embodiments the term “web service”and “website” may be used interchangeably and additionally may refer toa custom or generalized API on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g.,cellular phone, smart phone, personal GPS, personal digital assistant,personal gaming device, etc.), that makes API calls directly to aserver. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims and that the invention is intended to cover allmodifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: hosting an online game for aplurality of players; continually accessing a plurality of parametersemployed to identify players who qualify for a reward provided via theonline game; continually updating, using at least one processor, acurrent acquisition requirement for the reward based on the plurality ofparameters; and providing the reward to at least one of the plurality ofplayers responsive to satisfaction of the current acquisitionrequirement by the at least one of the plurality of players.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, the continual updating of the current acquisitionrequirement comprising setting the current acquisition requirement suchthat a predetermined portion of the plurality of players do not satisfythe current acquisition requirement.
 3. The method of claim 2, thepredetermined portion of the plurality of players being all of theplurality of players.
 4. The method of claim 1, the current acquisitionrequirement comprising a current in-game asset requirement, thecontinual updating of the current acquisition requirement comprisingsetting the current in-game asset requirement such that a predeterminedportion of the plurality of players do not satisfy the current in-gameasset requirement.
 5. The method of claim 4, the continual updating ofthe current acquisition requirement comprising continually determiningthe amount of an in-game asset possessed by at least some of theplurality of players in the online game.
 6. The method of claim 4, thein-game asset comprising a virtual currency.
 7. The method of claim 1,the current acquisition requirement comprising a current socialrequirement, the current social requirement being satisfied by a newassociation of a person represented in a social network of at least oneof the plurality of players with the online game.
 8. The method of claim7, the person being a non-player of the online game, the current socialrequirement comprising issuance of an invitation from the at least oneof the plurality of players to the person that results in the personbecoming a new player of the online game.
 9. The method of claim 8, thenew association comprising the person joining a player group includingthe at least one of the plurality of players.
 10. The method of claim 8,the new association comprising the person and the at least one of theplurality of players pursuing a same goal in the online game.
 11. Themethod of claim 7, the person being a player of the online game, the newassociation comprising at least one of an in-game social connection andan in-game contact relationship between the person and one of theplurality of players.
 12. The method of claim 7, continually updatingthe current acquisition requirement comprising evaluating changes in thesocial network of the at least one of the plurality of players.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, the evaluating of the changes in the social networkof the at least one of the plurality of players comprising evaluating aspeed with which the at least one of the plurality of players makesconnections with other individuals.
 14. The method of claim 12, theevaluating of the changes in the social network of the at least one ofthe plurality of players comprising evaluating a depth with which the atleast one of the plurality of players makes connections with otherindividuals.
 15. The method of claim 1, the current acquisitionrequirement comprising a current social requirement, the continualupdating of the current acquisition requirement comprising setting thecurrent social requirement such that a predetermined portion of theplurality of players do not satisfy the current social requirement. 16.The method of claim 1, the reward comprising a higher-degree reward, thecontinual updating of the current acquisition requirement comprisingadjusting the current acquisition requirement for the higher-degreeaward based on a current acquisition requirement for a lower-degreeaward provided via the online game.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: hosting an online game for a plurality ofplayers; continually accessing a plurality of parameters employed toidentify players who qualify for a reward provided via the online game;continually updating a current acquisition requirement for the rewardbased on the plurality of parameters; and providing the reward to atleast one of the plurality of players responsive to satisfaction of thecurrent acquisition requirement by the at least one of the plurality ofplayers.
 18. An online game system configured to: host an online gamefor a plurality of players; continually access a plurality of parametersemployed to identify players who qualify for a reward provided via theonline game; continually determine a current acquisition requirement forthe reward based on the plurality of parameters; and provide the rewardto at least one of the plurality of players responsive to satisfactionof the current acquisition requirement by the at least one of theplurality of players.
 19. The online game system of claim 18, thecontinual updating of the current acquisition requirement comprisingsetting the current acquisition requirement such that a predeterminedportion of the plurality of players do not satisfy the currentacquisition requirement.
 20. The online game system of claim 18, thecurrent acquisition requirement comprising a current social requirementthat is satisfied by a new association of a person represented in asocial network of at least one of the plurality of players with theonline game.